Nuclear Winter
by Wido
Summary: A vault boy decides to go out to the Mojave wasteland, since he can't stand the vault anymore.
1. Prologue

**_Prologue_**

Since the dawn of human kind, when our ancestors first discovered the killing power of rock and bone, blood has been spilled in the name of everything: from God to justice to simple, psychotic rage.

In the year 2059, after millennia of armed conflict, the destructive nature of man could sustain itself no longer. The world was plunged into an abyss of nuclear fire and radiation.

But it was not, as some had predicted, the end of the world. Instead, the apocalypse was simply the prologue to another bloody chapter of human history. For man had succeeded in destroying the world - but war, war never changes.

In the early days, thousands were spared the horrors of the holocaust by taking refuge in enormous underground shelters, known as vaults. But when they emerged, they had only the hell of the wastes to greet them - all except those in Vault 104. For on that fateful day, when fire rained from the sky, the giant steel door of Vault 104 slid closed... and never reopened. It was here the lone wanderer was born. It is here he will die.

Because, in Vault 104: no one ever enters, and no one ever leaves.

War. War never changes.

In this story, we fix our sights on the lone wanderer from Vault 104. A place with no rules, where chaos reigned and blood was shed.

Merciless; by futile reason.

There was no wrong or right on Vault 104. Our lone wanderer, tired of all the chaos, fled away from Vault 104, searching for a home throughout the Mojave wasteland.


	2. Chapter 1

_ June 17__th__ of 2077 – First day out of Vault 104._

Dressed with nothing but a blue Vault-Tec jumpsuit, our lone wanderer begins his journey. He looked at his Pip-boy 3000, a metal gauntlet equipped with a touch sensible screen that allowed the user to keep track of his items and current vital signs, as well as tune to the only four radios left and use a flashlight. It showed time too, but time didn't matter anymore. The lone wanderer had ripped his jumpsuit sleeves to make himself a hood, which served to protect his head from the boiling sun. He had long, dark red hair and a rough beard. The lone wanderer brought his arm up again and pressed his index finger against the curved screen, making the image change to a different one, which had the heading that read 'Radio', with some names under it. He then read the names 'Radio New Vegas', 'Black Mountain Radio', 'Radio Mojave' and 'NRR Radio (North Rangers Republic)'. He scrolled the radios and tapped his index finger over the name 'Radio New Vegas'. The radio name soon got highlighted and he started to hear a song named 'Blue Moon' playing smoothly through the Pip-boy speakers. The lone wanderer then spoke with the small computer that lay on his arm.

"Pip-boy, Volume Up." His voice was deep and fearsome but at the same time edgy and wasted, he was thirsty. The Pip-boy made a beeping sound and then a woman-like robotic voice coming from the Pip-boy speakers spoke up.

"Volume at 75%, Master."The computer answered to its master. The lone wanderer started to walk again, aiming the small city that he could see through the desert haze. He didn't know if it was a mirage or not, but he had all his chips on that and he didn't want to stop playing now. The young man spoke up to the Pip-boy again.

"Dehydration Countdown." He kept shuffling his feet towards the so-said city while the Pip-boy beeped for about 2 seconds, to then speak back to its master.

"Two hours, thirty minutes and forty five seconds, sir." The Pip-boy answered its master with deadly precision. The lone wanderer sighed before proceeding back to walking towards the Haze city, as he had named it. It wasn't long until he reached the town, the young man smiled before sighing happily, without letting people aware of his presence. He slowly marched towards the well in the centre of the small city while he looked around. It all looked like the cities he saw in the western movies in his art classes while in the vault. The people wore jeans trousers, check shirts, cowboy boots and hats, some of them proudly exposed their revolvers on their leather holster belts. He threw himself towards the city well and reached for the tap, filling his steel canteen. He picked one of the buckets sitting beside the well and filled it to the top, drinking it all in a tentative of end his thirst. After drinking all the possible water he could and filling his three canteens, storing then on his ruffle sack, he marched towards a small building that had a sign that read 'Juan General Goods'

The lone wanderer opened the wooden door, ringing the small bells that hung over the door, attracting the attention of a woman behind a counter. He walked towards her and asked.

"Where am I?' The woman chuckled a bit and looked at him from his toes up to his head. He took off his improvised hood to look straight to the women. He had piercing green eyes that would melt even the colder hearts. His hair fell beside his face as he stored the hood in his ruffle sack.

"Well stranger, you're in Goodsprings!" She answered his question with excitement. "Are you from a Vault or something?" She asked.

"Yes, from Vault 104." His voice echoed as the grim in the woman face grew larger in excitement. A girly squeal filled the room as the girl jumped in place.

"Oh my God, I can't believe I finally met someone from a Vault!" She squealed once again. He looked at her more precisely. She appeared to be around her 19 to 20 years, she had a long, blond hair and a milky, pale skin. She had an innocent kind of beauty, not that the lone wanderer cared. She also had an attractive body, which she didn't bother hiding. She was wearing a check shirt that was wrapped on her waist, leaving her stomach visible, she also was wearing small jeans shorts and cowboy boots that reached just a bit before her knees.

"Please Madam, could you calm your pretty-self down?" He said trying not to lose his temper at the girl that stood before him. She giggled at his warm words, blushing a bit. He then threw his best fake smile at her.

"What can I help a handsome fellow like you with?" She said once she stopped giggling. He rolled his eyes, while walking closer to the counter.

"You can call me Dom ma'am; can you tell me your name?" The vault dweller then threw another of his fake smiles at her, trying to seduce her.

"My name is Alice, Alice Staley." She stretched her right arm out, waiting for him to shake it.

"Is a pleasure to meet you, Alice." He said, while grabbing hold of her hand, bowing down and kissing her pale skin right after doing so. He then stood back up, with a grim on his face. "I could use some help actually. Do you have anything to sell?"

"Yes sir!" She then grabs a list of items and gave to the man. He gazed at it, looking at the cost right beside the name of the item.

"Well, I would like to buy the black shirt, the duster, the black cowboy hat, the cowboy boots, the holster belt and the Colt .45 and ammunition please." He said, without taking his eyes out of the list. He quickly gazed at his Pip-boy to check the amount of money he had.

"That will be 500 caps sir." She said, while taking all the items and putting them on the counter.

"500 what?" The confused lone wanderer inquired to the girl before him.

"Caps, money." The girl answered the puzzled-looking man. Then something snapped inside her brain, he was born in a Vault, he didn't know what was caps. "Bottle caps, we use them as money now a days. Now is pretty rare to find pre-war money."

"Well, that's all I have." He said; putting over the counter all the dollar bills he had stored in his ruffle sack.

"I can exchange it for you. That's $954, about 2530 caps. Taking that you will buy all the items." She said, mentally calculating all the values.

"I'll take it." He concluded, taking all the items and putting them in his ruffle sack. The girl put a pouch with caps in it. "Thank you." The lone wanderer murmured. "Do you have anywhere I can change?" He asked to Alice.

"Yes, you can change in my room, I'll wait for you here" She said to the lone wanderer. The blonde girl showed the way for the tall man, opening the door for him.

Five minutes after he entered the room, the lone wanderer came out of the place, already wearing his gear. The young man walked towards a fat, short, orange haired man that anchored against the wooden wall of what seemed to be a saloon. The lone wanderer spoke with the man.

"Hey, do you know where I can get some work?" He asked for the man before him.

"That depends, can you handle yourself?" The fat man replied his question with another.

"More than you think." The fat man then draw his weapon aiming the lone wanderer waist, but the other man was faster and slid to the side, also drawing, but putting it against the orange haired man head. "Bang." He said playfully to the man.

"That's some solid skills you have there partner." He said. "An advice? Keep clear from a white man white a black Mohawk. He doesn't like new comers." The fat man said.

"Thank you for the advice." The taller one said.

"There he comes, follow my lead." The man said, trying to remain calm as a medium guy walked towards them.

"Who's that, Rex?" The black haired man asked.

"Just a new comer." The fat one replied to the other man, quickly looking at the lone wanderer.

The black haired man walked towards the vault dweller, stopping face to face with him.

"I don't like new comers." Said the one with black hair to the lone wanderer, spitting beside the long haired new comer right boot

"Try saying it to someone who cares." Answered the taller one, with a cold voice.

The black haired man drew his revolver, while the lone wanderer dodged and drew his revolver too, pointing at the man's head.

"Too Slow." The vault dweller provoked. The black haired man moved again, trying to shoot the long haired one. The lone wanderer spins to the side and shot the man's revolver off his hand as his own hat flew off his head. He then aimed his revolver at the man's head and said playfully. "Bang. You're dead."

The black haired was stunned, as for the first time someone had exceed his abilities.

"Mark my words partner, you cross my path once more and you won't be that lucky again." The black haired man got his gun back, holstering it and walking away. The lone wanderer also holstered his revolver, bowing down and grabbing his hat, taping the dust out of it.

The fat man walked towards the lone wanderer, amazed by his incredible skills.

"Where did you learn that?" Inquired the orange-haired man.

"In the place I come from, if you can't handle yourself you will probably cash your chips earlier than you think." The vault dweller answered, looking at the clouded sky. "What is wrong with the sky?" Now the lone wanderer asked to the fat man.

"The Nuclear Winter is coming my friend; prepare yourself to the dark days. The dark clouds will cover the sun; the animals will mostly die off; the people will go crazier than anything and there will be small water flakes falling from the sky." Said the orange haired one.

"Nuclear winter is coming." The vault dweller repeated to himself.

"So, what is your name?" Asked the fat man before him.

"Kevin. You can call me Kevin." The lone wanderer answered. "What about you?"

"My name is Rex." Said the one with the orange hair, giving the lone wanderer a warm smile.

"So, do you know where I can get a job?" The vault dweller inquired.

"Well, you can do some Merc work." Rex said, while he took of his hat and scratched his balding head.

"What is that?" Inquired the one with long hair.

"Mercenary work, son!" He said, questioning how the boy didn't know what that meant. "Did you grow up in a Vault or something?" He rhetorically asked the lone wanderer.

"Yes, Vault 101. Best Vault in all New Vegas." The former vault dweller said. "What do I have to do in this Merc work?" He then asked the fat one.

"The normal; Loot old shacks and farms, bounty hunt and all that." Rex replied to the lone wanderer. "If you want to, I can get you some extra tasks."

"Well, who do I talk to due to start Bounty Hunting?" The lone wanderer implied to the fat man that stood before him.

"Talk to the city sheriff, Lucas Simms."


End file.
